Merchandise display having perpetual inventory control



May 17, 1966 H. L. HANSON 3,251,464

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY HAVING PERPETUAL INVENTORY CONTROL Filed Feb. 12, 1964 FIG. I

INVENTOR H. LLOYD HANSON BY Ma? ATTORNEY United States Patent Office Patented May 17, 1966 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY HAVING PERPETUAL This invention relates to a new and improved merchandising display utilizing a superposed set of individual cards or like mechandise mounts each of which isprovided with means to support it'from a member such as a peg or pin, each card having an index tab thereon, the tabs being spaced at dilferent points about the peripheral edges of the individual cards so that each card although obscured by cards in front of it, still clearly shows its tab, with appropriate indicia thereon, so that the customer can see at a glance the item he wants, and can abstract the wanted card. Then it is obvious that a certain tab is missing and hence that this particular item has been sold, and therefore can be quickly and easily replaced by a clerk.

This invention is particularly adapted to the display, sale and inventory control of relatively small items particularly such as hardware and even more particularly those items which are ordinarily sold in different sizes such as gun patches, cleaning brushes, screws and nails, drills, taps, dies, blades of any description and similar articles which are customarily sold by the piece or small set, but in which the pieces or sets vary from one size to another throughout a range. This type of merchandise in the past has always required a great deal of display space but with this invention such space is greatly condensed.

The invention also contemplates the use of other conveniences such as punched holes in the cards mounting the various objects so that where a tap or drill is being displayed and sold, the hole will be of a size showing the. hole which can be tapped or the hole that will be drilled. Also there can be a second 'hole provided which shows the size of a rod which a certain tap will thread and these holes can of course 'be related to other sizes and characteristics of the various merchandise which may be mounted upon the cards.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter,

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation illustrating the invention, parts being broken away, and

FIG. 2 is a view on a reduced scale in side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1 with some cards abstracted.

In illustrating the invention, the same is shown as comprising a series of cards. Each card is provided with a notch along an edge thereof or in some cases two notches or more as indicated in the present case in FIG. 1. There may be as many cards as desired particularly for mounting a certain number of drills, taps or dies for instance which may be desired 'to be displayed in a complete set and the cards are snapped onto supporting members by means of the notches.

The first card in a series is indicated in the present case generally as number 10. This card has two notches 12, 12 which are undercut to accommodate and snap over rods, wires or pins 14 so as to be suspended in position therefrom. Card is provided with the appropriate merchandise generally a single item although notnecessarily so, this being indicated at 16. The items 16 may be mounted on cards in any way desired as by adhesive, staples, or plastic bubbles such as are well known in the art. The card is preferably made large enough so as to provide room for printing thereon of the characteristics of the article which is mounted on the card, advertising,

the name of the manufacturer, etc.

However the main characteristic of this card is that it is provided with a tab 18 at an edge thereof. No other card of the series will have a tab which corresponds to the same location as tab 18, but on the other hand the next or second card which is indicated at 20 has a tab 22 located in a slightly different position with regard to tab 18, and the third card 24 has a tab 26 which is located at an edge thereof in a different location from either the tab 18 or the tab 22, and so on throughout the entire series.

In the illustration of FIG. 1 there are sixteen different cards and each one has its own tab as at 18, 22, 26, 28, etc. extending from a stack of cards when they are in superposed position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the tab for each card is clearly visible.

It will then beseen that if a customer abstracts the card having the tab 30, as for instance simply by identifying the merchandise he wants through the indicia on the tab, it is then possible for the store clerk to immediately spot the fact that this particular size of merchandise has been sold and to replenish the same at a moments notice.

It will also be seen that if there should be several stacks of cards displayed all of which contain the same series of merchandise, nevertheless the perpetual inventory control is maintained'in this manner so that the clerk may replenish those goods which have been depleted at any time interval.

It will be appreciated'therefore that this invention provides a perpetual merchandise inventory control which is clear and obvious at a glance and which in the present case provides for a series of fifteen separate items whichoccupy the display space of only a single item so that a great deal of display space is conserved, the customer can pick his desired article quickly and easily and the clerk can quickly and easily replace the same once it has been abstracted from the set.

The cards may assume many different sizes and shapes and they may be provided with any kind of printed information which may seem desirable to the manufacturer. In this invention however they are also provided with punched holes as at 32 and 34. If the article 16 for instance is a wood screw, one of the holes 32 or 34 could indicate the size of hole that should be drilled prior toinsertion of the screw. It can indicate the diameter of a nail or the size of hole to be drilled if the article 16 is a drill; or the hole that can be tapped if it is a tap. This hole can also indicate the size of a rod which can be threaded if the articles in the stack are dies of various diameters. Various other information of one kind or another can also be provided as may be found to be convenient.

It is emphasized that any card regardless of its location, can be removed quickly and easily Without disturbing any of the other cards, merely by pulling downward-- 1y on it as seen in FIG. 1 to remove it from the wires or pins 14. It is of course possible to provide the notches in the sides or even at the bottom of the cards rather than at the-top edges thereof, but in the position shown in FIG. 1 the cards depend :and as stated can be easily abtracted.

Once abstracted as stated, the clerk at once ascertains that the tab of the abstracted card is missing and therefore the card is missing. A new card with the merchandise and notations on the tab can be just as quickly and easily replaced by the clerk. In view of this it is seen that a permanent inventory control is provided as well as an extremely simple and efiicient merchandise display rack in which a great deal more merchandise can be mounted and thus in view for sale than in cases where the individual cards are mounted separately.

It is also desired to be made clear that any kind of indicia may be utilized to distinguish the different goods on the different cards. Alphabetical or numerical series, colors, combinations of colors, or mere empirical figures may be utilized to distinguish the different goods on the different cards. The tabs may also be imprinted with number of threads per inch, and have at the edge thereof a thread gauge or the like for the convenience of the customer.

It will be appreciated that the present invention lends itself also particularly well with respect to such things as lipsticks merely by indicating the shades on the tabs either by color or name or trademark, etc.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A merchandise display having perpetual inventory control, said display comprising a series of superposed cards, an article on each card, each article having a size different from articles on other cards, means holding the articles to the cards, each card being substantially of the same size and shape, means for supporting said cards in superposed condition so that only one card is exposed, all of the other cards being generally parallel and ranked behind the exposed card,

a tab on each card, indicia on each tab showing the size of the article on its card, each tab extending from a peripheral edge of its card, tabs showing different sizes being located in different positions along the peripheral edge of the respective card, the tabs being aligned in a row generally parallel to the edge of the cards on which the tabs are located, all tabs showing different sizes being exposed to view i from the front of the display, the tabs together showing a substantially complete set of sizes,

and means supporting the cards and providing for instant withdrawal of any selected card without disturbing any other card or the supporting means, the absence of any tab showing the absence of its card and its article, and showing by its absence the size of article that is missing.

2. The merchandise display of claim 1 wherein the article on each card is elongated and generally cylindrical, and each card has a hole in it of the general diameter of the particular article on its card.

3. The merchandise display of claim 1 including a desiguated top edge for the series of superposed cards, said card supporting means including a rod, means to mount the rod, an aperture in each card in the series adjacent the top edge thereof receiving the rod therethrough, the apertures being aligned, and means in each card between the aperture therein and the top edge thereof to facilitate the withdrawal of a selected card merely by pulling it in a direction transverse to the length of the rod.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,043,049 10/1912 Hermann 12916.8 1,785,988 12/1930 Sutcliffe.

2,757,793 8/1956 Deitz 20678 2,969,793 1/1961 Fuerrer 12916.8 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 26,878 1913 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MERCHANIDISE DISPLAY HAVING PERPETUAL INVENTORY CONTROL, SAID DISPLAY COMPRISING A SERIES OF SUPERPOSED CARDS, AN ARTICLE ON EACH CARD, EACH ARTICLE HAVING A SIZE DIFFERENT FROM ARTICLES ON OTHER CARDS, MEANS HOLDING THE ARTICLES TO THE CARDS, EACH CARD BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OF THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID CARD IN SUPERPOSED CONDITION SO THAT ONLY ONE CARD IS EXPOSED, ALL OF THE OTHER CARDS BEING GENERALLY PARALLEL AND RANKED BEHIND THE EXPOSED CARD. A TAB ON EACH CARD, INDICIA ON EACH TAB SHOWING THE SIZE OF THE ARTICLE ON ITS CARD, EACH TAB EXTENDING FROM A PERIPHRAL EDGE OF ITS CARD, TABS SHOWING DIFFERENT SIZES BEING LOCATED IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS ALONG THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE REPRESENTIVE CARD, THE TABS BEING ALIGNED IN A ROW GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE EDGE OF THE CARDS ON WHICH THE TABS ARE LOCATED, ALL TABS SHOWING DIFFERENT SIZES BEING EXPOSED TO VIEW 